New Delhi:
The police are detaining those heading to Jantar Mantar this morning and taking them to Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium in an effort to keep the iconic site out of bounds for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s supporters during their mega protest over alleged electoral illegalities.
Visuals showed the protesters being bundled into police vans and taken away in areas such as Connaught Place near Jantar Mantar. In another video, a few protesters were seen flanked by cops in a van.
Delhi Police detained a number of protesters who had begun gathering near Jantar Mantar for the proposed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest. The action comes amid an unprecedented security deployment across the national capital, with thousands of personnel stationed at key locations and extensive restrictions imposed around the protest site. Authorities had earlier denied permission for the demonstration and warned against unauthorized gatherings. #DelhiPolice #JantarMantar #CJP #DelhiProtest
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 10, 2026
The CJP, which had been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh, had given a call for a mega protest at Jantar Mantar today over alleged irregularities in the voter registration and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) processes.
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The police denied permission, arguing that they were late in informing the authorities.
The CJP’s foremost leaders, Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Saurav Das, were already taken into preventive custody after their flight landed in the national capital this morning. Besides, about 400-odd protesters were detained overnight, dozens of metro stations were shut, and hundreds of trains were cancelled to prevent a huge turnout like the July paper leak protests.
Delhi: People heading to Jantar Mantar for the CJP protest are being detained and brought to Chhatrasal Stadium https://t.co/knPN9oFM8f
— IANS (@ians_india) October 10, 2026
Born out of a viral movement, the CJP received support from opposition outfits. The protest saw several Left leaders being taken into custody.
Kerala’s Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was also briefly held at the Chhatrasal stadium. He is seen flanked by CPI(M) MP John Brittas and former finance minister KN Balagopal in a video shared by the former. Brittas claimed they were detained, taken to Chhatrasal, and are now being taken round the city in a police jeep.
READ | Delhi Sees Heavy Traffic As Cops Stop CJP Protesters
“We are being taken in a police jeep round and round in the city. We were taken to Chhatrasal stadium and we are in a police jeep after 30-40 minutes. We don’t know where we are going. This is the situation,” he said in another video.
“Delhi has been taken over by Delhi Police, and basic civil liberties are being taken away,” he alleged.
“The Delhi Police are behaving without basic courtesy. We have now been brought to Chhatrasal Stadium; they brought us here after driving us around all of Delhi for about an hour.” #gyaneshkumarresign #delhipolice #delhi #jantharmanthar https://t.co/ivh3rUqTlB
— John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) October 10, 2026
The detentions are part of police efforts to prevent a July 20-like chaos that erupted during a CJP protest demanding the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam paper leaks. Pradhan had eventually resigned, and the government accepted their demands.
This time, Delhi Police prepared well in advance. The entry and exit gates at 45 Delhi Metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk and Kashmere Gate, have been shut. Over 250 trains from other states and local trains scheduled to arrive at the Hazrat Nizamuddin and New Delhi stations have been cancelled.
Besides, over 20,000 police personnel have been deployed, and 300 CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor developments. Internet services have also been suspended within a radius of 4 km around Jantar Mantar for 24 hours since 10 pm yesterday.
